Face Value
...mphs. On August 10, Werther states, “…the heart alone is the source of our happiness” (pg. 59). Yet he knows that despite his knowledge of this, he will never find a love that can complete him. Instead, he aspires to win the love of a woman he cannot have. He understands that his need for love and his inability to obtain it are what cause his depression, yet his failure to overcome this obstacle is what causes the reader to despise him. Werther states, “… the source of Man’s contentment becomes the source of his misery” on August 18 which illustrates Werther’s understanding of his internal dilemma (pg. 65). Unfortunately, Werther is unable to apply and overcome this concept, though he knows he should. For Werther is “like a traveler who has to cross a mountain; naturally his route would be a deal more comfortable, and shorter; if the mountain were not there, but as it is, he has to get on with climbing it” (pg. 75). However, Werther does not “get on with climbing it.” Instead he wallows in his own self-pity, longing for a woman he cannot have and searching for a happiness he cannot find because to him, living in misery is safer and easier than leaving what he knows and searching for fulfillment. Werther exclaims, “You are a fool! You are looking for something that cannot be found on earth” (pg. 29). And while his head knows this, his heart leads him down a tragic path yearning for Lotte though he knows that she is not his, nor will she ever be. Werther comprehends all of the important aspects of true happiness. He knows that contentment cannot come from external sources. He states men are “impossible to satisfy because [they] are never satisfied with [themselves]” (pg. 74). Yet like many of us, he searches for his happiness by seeking the approval of someone else even though this approval is fickle and fleeting and often leaves Werther more depressed than satisfied. However, Werther is looking for something drastic to change his life, to change how he feels about himself. Perhaps this is because he his overly philosophical. He expects this one great love to change his identity for the better, when in reality it only leads to his demise. Werther oversimplified happiness. He did not realize that it does not come in one action or one person but in a lifetime of achievements and disappointments, in love and heartbreak. Yet throughout the entire novel, he is unable to move this...